The Sele First School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 14 June 2022

Pupils thrive during their time at Sele First School. Teachers have high expectations of all pupils including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Pupils have positive behaviour and apply themselves to their learning. Bullying rarely happens and pupils are confident it would be dealt with if it did. Pupils enjoy being at school and spending time with their friends. There are a range of activities available at playtimes with well-thought-through routines so that all pupils can enjoy outside play in the limited space available. Pupils love being in the school garden, equipped with a pond, seating for storytelling and a nearby tree house. There is timetabled access including dedicated time for Reception children as part of their outdoor learning. The garden is a place where pupils relax and think about the natural world. One pupil commented, 'I think school is a happy place, teachers are very understanding. I like going into the garden, being free with nature.' Leaders ensure that staff care for pupils well. Pupils with emotional needs have access to therapeutic support from trained staff within school. They help pupils increase their confidence and talk through any anxieties they may have.

What the school should improve

• There are significant differences in how rapidly pupils are learning phonics within certain cohorts. The teaching of pupils in ability groups has further widened the gap between the lower and upper-ability groups. The difference in attainment is quite stark. Leaders should further develop their existing strategies to ensure pupils who need to catch-up quickly with their peers in phonics do so. This will ensure all pupils do not fall even further behind their peers and have equal access to the key stage 2 curriculum.
• There is a lack of consistency in staff implementing the new behaviour policy and in expectations of pupils' behaviour. This leads to a few pupils showing some low- level disruptive behaviour. Some pupils, while not disrupting others, are not actively engaged in their learning. Leaders should ensure that all staff are consistent in terms of expectations of behaviour for learning and consistently apply the behaviour policy.
• The curriculum does not cover cultural diversity in enough depth and opportunities to visit places with more diversity than Hexham have been limited during the pandemic. This means pupils do not have rich opportunities to develop an understanding of the multicultural nature of modern Britain. Leaders should ensure that there are more opportunities in the curriculum, the resources used and the places visited to promote cultural diversity, to ensure pupils have a better understanding of the region and their place within modern Britain.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)